New Delhi:
Opposition parties Congress and Samajwadi Party have slammed the ruling BJP over the arrest of an Ashoka University professor for a social media post on Operation Sindoor and questioned why Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah, whose remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi sparked a row, had not been arrested yet.
In an apparent swipe at the ruling BJP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has put out a social media post, ostensibly drawing a parallel between the swift police action against the professor and the sluggish probe against the Madhya Pradesh minister.
“Hukmarano ki badzubani par bhi azadi, aur kisi ke sach kehne par bhi giraftari,” the Kannauj MP said in a post on X. The lines roughly translate to: “Those in power are free even after speaking ill of others and those who spoke the truth have been arrested.”
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, associate professor of political science at Ashoka University, was arrested yesterday after two FIRs were registered against him for a social media post on Operation Sindoor, India’s counterstrike to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack. The charges include endangering India’s sovereignty and integrity, statements conducing to public mischief, deliberate actions aimed at insulting the modesty of a woman and promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
Renu Bhatia, chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, filed one of the complaints against Mr Khan. Referring to the government choosing Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomina Singh for the Operation Sindoor briefings, the professor had said he was happy to see right-wing commentators applauding the Colonel. “… but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens. The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy”.
The women commission said a review of Mr Khan’s remarks raises concerns about the “disparagement of women in uniform, including Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh, and undermining their role as professional officers in the Indian Armed Forces”.
The professor earlier said the women’s panel “misunderstood” his remarks. “…I am surprised that the Women’s Commission, while overreaching its jurisdiction, has misread and misunderstood my posts to such an extent that they have inverted their meaning,” he said on X.
Akhilesh Yadav has compared the swift police action against Mr Khan with the relatively slower progress in the case against Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah, also in trouble for his remarks against Colonel Qureshi. While addressing a public event, Mr Shah referred to the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 innocents dead. “They undressed Hindus and killed them, and Modi ji sent their sister to return the favour. We couldn’t undress them, so we sent a daughter from their community… You widowed sisters of our community, so a sister of your community will strip you naked,” the Tribal Affairs minister said.
The remarks drew a wave of criticism. The Madhya Pradesh High Court took note of the remarks and ordered the registration of an FIR. The court said the “sister of terrorists” remark could affect religious harmony and added that such remarks may create a perception that, irrespective of an individual’s service to the nation, they may face derogatory treatment solely due to their faith.
The matter has now reached the Supreme Court. According to an IANS report, despite the court’s strict order, police are yet to record Mr Shah’s statement or identify key witnesses.
Main opposition Congress has criticised Mr Khan’s arrest and said “this is state of New India under the Modi government”.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested for a thoughtful Facebook post. This is the state of New India under the Modi government.
A historian and academic is jailed not for inciting violence but for advocating against it. His crime? Daring to speak truth to power, exposing the… pic.twitter.com/wLiVNFujTE
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) May 18, 2025
“A historian and academic is jailed not for inciting violence but for advocating against it. His crime? Daring to speak truth to power, exposing the BJP’s cynical communal narrative, and calling out the hypocrisy of chest-thumping nationalism. Meanwhile, the BJP minister and their deputy CM face no action after openly demeaning the armed forces. No FIRs. No arrests. That’s the double standard of Modi’s governance,” Congress leader Pawan Khera has said.
“A government that fears questions, fears its own people. When writers, professors and critics are branded enemies, the real enemy is democracy itself,” he added. “His only mistake is that he wrote this post. And his other mistake is his name,” Mr Khera said.
